I was at a party last weekend & low & behold they played 'Nasty Girls' the long version. I was totally surprised. Then saw a old episode of Soul Train recently with Vanity 6 & just got to thinking about Vanity. She seemed to have so much going for her early on in her career. It seems like she just got started & then poof! It was all gone. Up in smoke.

She sounded intelligent, at least she had a personality, unlike some of those girls back then who just talked crap. Then she tried to do movies and she was damned good. But that went up in smoke. OK, people were doing alot of drugs back then & free-basing was the 'in' thing to do before people realised it killed and was so addictive. Richard Pryor was the poster boy for that.

Then Vanity kind of disappeared and then reappeared as a born again Christian. She was finally off drugs and alive. Maybe still crazy tho.

Then she said she was gonna write about it all. People sent her money for the book and it never happened. She totally stole people's money. Damn, that's some heavy shit. Most people go to prison for stealing. But because it's a has-been star, she gets away with it. All in the name of the Lord.
Lordy, Lordy Lordy.

I'm thinking she is a big disappointment AND a sad case.

And I know people saying she found the Lord now so leave her alone. But she got a website up and was on TBN advertising her book and then nothing happened. So does that mean when you find the Lord you can act any way you want? You can advertise a book, get people to pay for it and then not publish it?

Just goes to show you, just because you're beautiful doesn't mean life is a breeze baby.

What ya'll think?

The book is still not out? Didn't a bunch of people already pay for it?

She's having some issues but I wouldn't write her off. I think she's having publishing problems which is why her book takes so long....still on pre-order per her website http://www.blameitonvanit...index3.php But I dunno...she had videos up and now nothing. Looks like nobody is updating her site. Also, for people who bought her book...no refunds.

i agree. i think she could have gone a lot farther but for whatever reason wasnt stable enough, mentally. even now as a christian, she seems "off". to some sort of effect of the drugs maybe? it is disappointing when you see talent and beauty go to waste. it would be a relief to see her growth in ANYTHING positive, even if it is christianity, but she still seems like shes not together.

angelface22 said:

Yep, well said.

WOW...she still didn't send out the book to the fans who ordered it?! I'm so glad that I didn't pre-order this thing.

I think the problems existed long before "Vanity" was introduced to the world. Hopefully the worst is behind her now, at least. Work-in-progress, like everybody else, imo.

i have spoken to her recently. she is definately not a sad case. She was sick for several months and everthing was put on hold. she is well now and very happy the book is finished and is now with the publisher. its been a very long journey for her and she has reached several destination. she is very passionate with the book and it will contain her life in her words. I look forward to reading it.

she is still quite amazing after all said and continue to be done.

ask her about the book.

lets be honest.

aside from her sex appeal there really wasnt much going for her.

dreamfirstborn said:

And we've heard all this again and again and again and again and again for years. Fact remains, still no book, whether its with publishers or stored somewhere in her computer. We don't know and chances are she don't know. We can explain this stuff away until cows come home. Fact remains...where's the beef????

Everyone come through a 'long journey'. Maybe not as rough as hers, maybe rougher even. But as Ricky Ricardo used to say, 'She got some 'xpainin' to do.

Come on now. We're not totally stupid. I would appreciate it if Denise and all the people who send these responses excusing her behavior could show some decency and respect for the public, i.e. the fans and spectators.

I'm glad that SHE is 'very happy the book is finished and is now with the publisher'. Now would she mind making everyone else happy who paid for the book by getting it out.

You say she has 'reached several destinations'. Well one of them should be to wake up and realise that you need to practice what you preach. As a preacher, she's not practicing what she's preaching.(and the choir says 'PREACH')

But you know what. It's all good and this whole thing showed me more about Denise Matthews aka Vanity than any book ever could. She is showing me herself for who she really is, and as we used to say in the South, 'she done tore her drawers with me'.

All I have is the memory of the stage persona of Vanity and that'll work. I still liked that for what its worth.

minneapolisFunq said:

I aqree. She was gorgeous, but that's about it. She was not a good singer and she wasn't too bright. However, I always thought she had potential as an actress, and to this day I wish she had not walked out on Purple Rain.

I've seen her on TBN a few times and read some of her writing, which is all over the place. I feel for her because of what she went through as a kid that led her down such a self destructive path, which has left her in delicate physical and mental condition. I can understand her being very religious now because it sure seems like a miracle that she even survived.

At this point I think that any money people sent to her is just a love offering. I doubt she's capable of writing a coherent book unless she uses a ghost writer or something.

scorp84 said:

Yep. All things considered, she's probably doing the best she can.

babynoz said:

I love your idea of a 'love offering'. Thats really positive and kind. So thanks for that. Even tho I never paid for the book, I'm an advocate for human rights so injustice ticks me off. But I think the idea of letting go of the money people paid for it and seeing it as a love offering. Great thought.

blue22 said:

I think your post is a bit judgmental. Is she crazy for believing in Jesus? How many of us have a passion as strong as hers for Christ and living as a Christian? God forbid we call Prince crazy for being a Jehovah's Witness, but if Ms. Matthews emerges (not sure what she was under before that to emerge from) as a born-again Christian, it's some horrible scarlet letter on her.

If she's at where she wants to be in her life, then who is she a disappointment to? She can't be expected to live up to your, or anyone's projections or thoughts on what she should be. I question the "early in her career" thing. That WAS her career. Early on was her days with Prince, as she went on to record a few albums after, and star in movies on her own. That was the latter part of her career as a singer/actress. How did her movies go up in smoke? She got a lot of attention and credit for her roles in stuff like The Last Dragon, Action Jackson, etc etc. Her career was what it was, it wasn't cut short, it just ran its course.

As far as the book thing, I can't speak to that, because I've never really known about her writing a book or taking pre-orders. If she did take money, then she should refund it or fulfill her end of the deal, one or the other.

I get tired of people calling her, or Dez, or Sheila, or whoever "crazy" for being a born-again Christian. It's a life choice, no crazier than who any of their accusers are choosing to live. If it works for them, who is anyone else to judge. Take the book out of the equation, and it's no one's business. She's not selling you a product, she's not asking for your $77 for a website she's not updating. Crazy to you, is normal to her. But she might look at you (or any of us) and think "crazy", yet it's normal to you.

Reading the introduction to her book on her website I don't think I could manage more than a few pages before getting tired and confused. The sentences are... too much.

" I should have been thoroughly engulfed in an ocean of careful wondrous dreams with the whole Kingdom beset before me, however my ocean thrust me against the rocks and ripped my sour soul in two, thus rendering my upper half to a tornado and with my lower, i lowered myself to that of a squatting dog, dare i say sucking up his own vomit."

http://www.blameitonvanit...index3.php

VenusBlingBling said:

Yeeeeesh.

Just noted this from her site:

ernestsewell said:

My head's spinning after reading that hot mess.

ernestsewell said:

Let me be clearer....I am not cricising her for being a 'born again' anything. I am, however, criticising her for taking people's money and not delvering. But as someone suggested I will now look upon people who did buy it as them giving to charity or an offering of some kind, even tho that was not the intention. The intention was to pay for merchandise. But oh well, I think I can let that one go now. I'm bored with it. Over it.

I am not ordering the book until its done and ready to be sent out. I have patience I believe it will be out some things we just have to wait a long time for.

1) Someone's religious decisions are their business.

2) Writing's hard work. I've never gotten the sense from Matthews that she'd be a natural at writing. Autobiographies are, perhaps, the hardest to write.

3) But, if people have been sending her money with the expectation of getting a book in return and she's failed to deliver, that's perpetuating fraud, not receiving love offerings.

ThreadBare said:

I agree thready but why on earth would anybody send her money after reading those exerpts? Out of love was the only reason I could come up with unless they never bothered to read them.